Artificial Paradise
by Pebblesnuffer
Summary: "The sound of the beat of the repeating world, it resounds the bells that signal the end, Giving everyone a new life, there will be a new beginning" The next Keyblade War has started, and it will signal the end of Light and Shadow TAKING OC'S!
1. The Witch's Return

**A/N!: ** This is my epic story of the next great Keyblade War, and I am accepting , so far I have Marco Casil do Monto, MiniMarco, Northberta de la Noir, Minerva Liongate, and Malevolent from the EPIC Aelraf, Lucian, Axion, Raven, Rahkshata, and Artemecia from the righteous Raven-IIX, give 'em cookies!

Anyways, this episode introduces some of the main characters. The ones I have created are Ace Lexington, Onyx Firestone, Dallas Highwind, Damian Sercus, and Avery Melosis, Minerva and Shadow(also mine)

ENJOY!

_The worlds used to be so peaceful..._

_The Heartless, the Nobodies, Organization 13, Maleficent and Xehanort were now only stories people told the children to frighten them..._

_No longer did people fear the danger of the outside worlds..._

_That was, until they returned..._

"Those are just stories Onyx, no need to get creeped out", a Violet-haired boy laughed at a White-haired girl. The boy's hair was shaggy. His eyes were a Light Green, and his skin was a Cream color. He wore a Red scarf and had on a long Dark Green over coat and a Red tank that had a turtle neck instead of straps. His pants were Azure Blue and had a sort of balloon effect.

"It's not funny Ace, what if those people come back again?", the girl called Onyx cried, crossing her arms. The girls' hair was about to her shoulders, and she had Gold eyes with Silver flecks. She wore a Red Kimono top with Purple trim, and a pair of Black pants with one legging cutting off just above her knee-cap.

"Onyx, we've been at peace for more than a hundred years, why would they suddenly appear?", Ace questioned, laughing some more.

"Still, I keep getting this strange feeling that not everything is as peaceful as it seems", Onyx sighed, looking up at the sky again. It was Night, which wasn't much of a surprise because it always was Night in her little world of Cosmic Gateway.

"You're just letting what Dallas said get to your head", Ace sighed, poking the side of the young girl's head.

"Hey!", she huffed, slapping his hand away. Ace just laughed and ruffled her hair before looking up into the sky again.

"Hey Onyx, did you know that out of every ten stars in this sky, at least six of them are different worlds?", he asked, grinning at her. Onyx's eyes widened like a child at a candy store.

"Really?", she said hopefully.

"Yeah, Cosmic Gateway is known for being one of the few worlds that can be used to see other worlds, pretty cool, huh?", Ace laughed.

"Yeah", Onyx trailed off, smiling as she stared at the sky.

"Ey, Onyx, Ace, we gotta get 'goin!", another boy called. He had Blonde hair that went just under his chin and curled a little. He had a Black t-shirt on with a Tan jacket that went to his waist, and Blue jeans with Black boots.

"But Dallas~!", Onyx whined.

"No buts, Damian's get'n impatient, and when Damian gets impatient, bad things happen", Dallas sighed, putting a finger up while resting a hand on his hip.

"Oh, fine", Onyx huffed, standing up and walking over to Dallas, Ace not far behind her.

"So what does Damian want?", Ace asked, reclining in mid-air as they walked.

"He said 'somethin 'bout a huge breakthrough in his research", Dallas replied, waving his hands around.

"He _always_ has a huge breakthrough, how do we know it's not just another fluke?, the kid's been studying those damned stars for years, and his research on the heart, I don't think he's been outside in years!", Ace groaned.

"Ya might have a point there Ace", Dallas chuckled as they climbed the stairs to the university.

"Yo Damian, you in here?", Ace called as they opened the door to the dark Laboratory.

"Yes yes I'm here, just keep it down, I just finished piling my research, and I don't need it falling over again", a young voice that almost sounded feminine hissed. A young soon popped his head out from behind a bookcase. He didn't look much older than Onyx, and has Ice Blue eyes and waist-length Auburn hair, not to mention a rather strong Irish accent.

"So, what'd you call us for now Damian?", Dallas asked, looking around with a bored expression.

Damian blew a lock of Auburn hair from his face and crossed his arms while saying,"Since you sound _so_ eager to find out, I've figured out how those creatures of the Dark were created". Dallas gaped at him. The Dark was only spoken of in whispers, and even then, only the Elders would dare use it in a conversation.

"What do you mean?", Dallas asked slowly, narrowing his eyes. Damian rolled his eyes, and gestured for them to follow him to the back of the Lab. There, in a large glass tube, was a pink glowing object.

"Is that-", Onyx started.

"A heart?", Ace finished, completely awestruck. He had never seen a heart in person, and was only told stories of their form.

"Damian, have ya lost ya mind?", Dallas exclaimed.

"Are you willing to hear me out, or are you going to "jump the gun" like most of you bumbling cowboys?", Damian huffed, crossing his arms. Dallas grumbled, but stayed silent.

"It happened about 12:27 last night", he started, opening a book on one of his shelves.

"I was looking at the matter of a Dark Cosmic Energy Source that the Elders had asked me to inspect. Upon doing so, I then wondered what would be the outcome if I fused a Heart to the Dark. The result", he explained, walking over to a cage that was covered.

"Was this". He took off the sheet, and a pair of Yellow eyes darted around the room, taking in every detail.

"Oh my god", Onyx breathed.

"This, is what the Elders called a Heartless, they seem to be drawn to the Light of the Heart. I fused the Dark Cosmic Energy I had collected with a Heart I managed to capture. The result was this little creature. I did research, and it is classified as a Shadow, the lowest rank Heartless that walked the worlds", Damian continued, gesturing to the Midnight Black creature that scurried around the cage frantically.

"Ya do realize the Elders'll kill you if they find out what you've... made", Dallas sighed, trying to search for the right words.

"That's why they won't find out", Damian sighs, glowering at the Blonde cowboy.

Damian then sighed, and called out,"Avery!, where are you with those books?".

"I'm coming I'm coming, no need to get all hot and bothered", a female voice groaned, walking through the door. She had waist-length Brown hair with ringlets, and Silver eyes. She wore a White sundress that flowed out near the end and had glowing crystals of different colors around the edges. She also wore a Blue jean jacket, and Black knee-high boots.

"What took you so long?, I sent you to the Post Office two hours ago!", Damian hissed, taking the books from her hands as if she were ripping them apart.

"I got side-tracked, Tien wanted to have a quick Struggle match for her training, so I obliged", Avery replied lazily, flicking the Irishman's nose as she walked by.

"Be careful, these are important documents!", he growled, clutching the books to his chest.

"Does it look like I care?", Avery raised her eyebrow.

"For one who loves history and science, you sure have a picky attitude", Damian mumbled.

"Oh, shun", Avery sighed, flipping her hair in his face.

"But I'm serious guys, if I can do research on this little creature without being discovered, I can open up a whole new world of science!", Damian cried excitedly.

"Sometimes, science isn't everything Damian", Onyx said softly, taking the books from the boy.

"Why don't we get you some tea, sooth you a little, hm?", Onyx suggested.

"Wait, I have a idea!", he said, clapping his fingers.

"Oh no, hide the rum, he has a idea", Dallas sighed.

Damian glared at him, and said,"What if you guys fused your Cosmic Energy with the Dark Cosmic Energy?".

"Okay Damian, you're losing your mind", Onyx sighed, sitting the sixteen year-old down.

"I have not lost my mind Onyx dear, I just regained it!, think about it, if this goes according to plan, maybe we can find a way for you to get your memories back!", Damian groaned.

"But isn't dangerous to mix Energy with other Energy?", Onyx whimpered.

"Well, technically, yes, life-threateningly dangerous, but c'mon Onyx, you once jumped off the University roof because you were bored!", Damian pleaded.

"And I also specialize in Wind Cosmic Energy", Onyx muttered, crossing her arms.

"I find it quite strange really how you specialize in Wind Cosmic Energy instead of Fire Cosmic Energy, I mean you're quite talented in both areas, what with those weird... different colored sparks you use, and trying to scare you is impossible, you always seem to know when someone's around", Avery piped in.

"I told you, the Wind talks to me!", Onyx groaned, throwing her hands up.

"Onyx, you're fifteen, don't go crazy yet, it's bad enough Damian's cracked", Ace chuckled.

"I have not cracked!", Damian exclaimed.

Ace only points to the Heartless in the cage, and says,"When you've created the first Heartless in a hundred years, then you've cracked". Damian grumbled swears in his foreign language, and flipped Ace off.

"Right back at ya body!", Ace said, returning the gesture.

"Alright, enough you two!", Dallas said, smacking both upside the head. Damian groaned as he rubbed his head.

"Please guys, this is important to me", Damian pleaded. The three stared at the pitiful scientist, and Ace sighed.

"How much Energy are we talking here?", he questioned.

"Not much, maybe a handful at the most", Damian replied. Ace looked at the other two, and sighed again.

"Fine, I'll do it, but if we created some weird, five-headed taco or something, I'm going to kick your ass!", Ace threatened, staring the other boy down. Ace then turned to Dallas.

"If I have to do it, so don't you!", Ace huffed.

"Woah woah woah, why me!", Dallas said quickly.

"Because Onyx is a wuss". Onyx' eyebrow twitched. Ace found himself on the other side of the room with wind-blown hair.

"I am not a wuss buddy, just 'cause I'm not a adrenaline junky like you, doesn't mean I can fight, or have enough power for that matter, count me in Damian", Onyx huffed, dusting her hands off.

"R-right", Damian said, shaking his head quickly. He quickly fixed his coat, and disappeared into the back room.

"Are ya guys sure this is a good idea?, I mean the Elders have told us that stuff like this is forbidden", Dallas sighed, resting his hands on his hips.

"If we don't, the psycho will never shut up about it", Ace grumbled, waving his hand around enthusiastically.

"...True", Dallas huffed. Damian appeared back in the Lab with a box.

"I warn you, since this is Dark Cosmic Energy, you'll want to be careful. It seems none of the Energy Natures deplete it, it only seems to make it grow", Damian warned.

"What about the Light Cosmic Energy?", Onyx asked.

"Onyx, when was the last time there was someone in this age who could control Light that well?", Damian grumbled.

"Well, not since Sora I believe", Onyx hummed in thought.

"Exactly, and the last Cleric has gone into hiding, we now no longer have a real Light user, we can only harvest it and use half its power", Damian explained, opening the box. Inside it was a glowing Dark Green gem.

"Um, Damian, Dark Cosmic Energy is Purple, not Green", Dallas said slowly.

"Yes well, the Elders said that it was a peculiar breed, it has the same properties and components, so there seems to be no difference, but the end result is magnified with this stone, it's incredible", Damian said, pointing to the gem.

"Well, now what?", Ace questioned.

"Alright, when I say three, Dallas, you need to use your Fire Energy, Ace with your Lightning Energy, and Onyx, you with your Wind Energy", Damian instructed.

"Um, alright", Ace nodded. The three took place in a triangle around the strange stone. Onyx' face showed anxiety, but she got ready all the same.

"One", Damian started. Ace looked at the others.

"Two", Onyx returned his look.

"Three". Dallas' hand glowed Red as a Red beam of energy shot the Gem. Ace's hand then glowed Yellow as a Yellow colored beam shot at the gem as well. With one last sigh, Onyx' hand glowed Gray as a Gray beam shot the gem as well.

"Incredible, the energy output this gem is giving, it's amazing", Damian said as the gem continued to glow. That's when everything went wrong. The gem seemed to almost start smoking a Dark Green.

"Uh, Damian, is it supposed to do that?", Dallas called over the howling of the beams. Damian then noticed the smoke.

"No... no, it's not", Damian said, hurrying over to the gem. He inspected the gem, and saw something move within it.

"Guys, stop, stop it guys!", Damian called. But it was too late. The gem glowed, and the room was enveloped in a Green light.

Intermission(Cookie Break!)...

When Ace opened his eyes, the Lab was full of smoke and was a wreck. He cuffed, and stood up quickly.

"Guys, guys, where are you?", he called. Onyx' scream pierced through the Lab.

"Onyx!", Ace called as he darted down the hall. Down a few more fleets of stairs, and out the roof door, Ace stopped as soon as he got out the door. Onyx was being held by a woman. But not just any woman. She had a completely Black attire, Olive skin, and almost like she had horns on her head...

"Maleficent", Ace gasped.

"Ah, so you're one of the fools that freed me, I should praise you", Maleficent laughed.

"Let me go you old Crow!", Onyx shouted, struggling against the sorceresses grip.

"Now now Lae, don't be that way, after all, we have special plans for you", Maleficent chuckled.

"Lae?, who the hell are you talking about?, I'm Onyx Firestone!", Onyx screamed.

"If you don't shut your mouth I will be forced to do it for you", the witch hissed, raising her staff. There was a blur, and Maleficent was knocked over, and Onyx was no longer in her grip.

"Ah, Onyx!", Ace called.

"Over here!", Onyx called from the tower. The blur appeared, and past Maleficent, and a White slash followed, crossing her chest.

"Urgh, the others may be asleep, but it seems your retainers are not!", Maleficent growled at Onyx, holding her side.

"Begone you foul shadow!", she shouted, her staff shooting a large Green fireball at the blur.

"You are only half right, Maleficent", the blur said, shooting back toward her.

"I am Shadow, but I am far from foul". The blur then jumped toward Maleficent, and Ace caught a glimpse of Silver hair. Maleficent staggered back, and the blur shot over her.

"Enough, Heartless!", Maleficent called.

"Ace!", Onyx screamed. He whipped around to see Onyx being taken by these Heartless with helmets.

"Onyx!", the blur called.

"Heheh, we shall meet again, Shadow Solstice", Maleficent cackled, disappearing. The blur slowly took shape of a girl. She had long Silver hair and skin, with Gold eyes. She had a long Black muffler that covered her mouth down to her neck, and a Dark Purple single strap belly shirt with Dark Green shorts and a Red overcoat that went to her waist, and Black knee-high boots. She also had a pair of rather large, curved kunai.

"Who-who are you?", Ace asked shakily. The girl looked at him with a soft gaze.

"I am not someone who will harm you", she said quietly, putting away the kunai.

"The-then, who are you?", the Violet-haired boy demanded.

The girl bowed, and said,"My name is Shadow Solstice, I am a Heartless Valkyrie, and a loyal retainer to Milady".

"Y-you're a Heartless?, but I thought y-you were all-?".

"Dead?, most yes, but a dear friend of Milady and I were only put asleep until we were needed, and it seems we are at last", Shadow interrupted.

"I-I see... well, where is Maleficent taking Onyx, a-and where is Dallas?", he demanded, calming down a little.

"Onyx is needed for some nefarious plan that was the reason Maleficent was sealed in that gem, and Dallas, I don't know where he went, I saw him in the blast, but nowhere else", Shadow mumbled, deep in thought.

"We have to find him!", Ace shouted.

"And not worry 'bout me while you're at it?, I'm hurt", a familiar Irish accent coughed. Ace whirled around to see Damian crawl out from under some rubble.

"You", he snarled, stomping over to the scientist.

"This is all your fault!", he shouted, pulling Damian up.

"I didn't know this was going to happen, I swear, the Elders were the ones that wanted me to study it, I never knew that Maleficent was inside it!", Damian defended quickly, shielding his face. Ace growled, and dropped Damian.

"I have to find Dallas", Ace muttered.

Shadow nodded, and said,"My friend and I will help you, but I warn you, she's a bit... unique".

Shadow then whistled, and shouted,"Minerva, you blasted ghost, where are you?".

"Ugh, what?, I was in the middle of torturing someone!", another voice shouted. Suddenly, a ghostly girl appeared, except, she was a ghost.

"Ace, this is Minerva Liongate, she's a Cemetery Queen, she was the only other I found when I was awakened", Shadows introduced.

"Woah, how do you know my name?", Ace questioned, raising a eyebrow.

"With how many times Onyx was shouting it, I figured she was talking to you", Shadow replied, smirking a little. Ace grumbled and turned away, clearly embarrassed that he had asked a stupid questioned.

"Ooh, he's a cutey, I always preferred Red, but I can work with Purple~!", Minerva cooed, floating around him slowly.

"Minerva, stay to the task at hand", Shadow said sternly. Minerva pouted, but floated back over to Shadow.

"What's the plan?", she yawned.

"We have been awakened, which means it's been a hundred years, and that can only mean the next Keyblade War is upon us, and it seems Onyx has no memories, just as Reiko predicted", Shadow explained.

"Damn, things have certainly gotten screwed up", Minerva mumbled.

"Let's start with finding your friend, Ace, and then we will search for another friend of mine, she resides in Hallow Bastion, maybe she can help us", Shadow nodded.

"Um, sure, I guess", Ace nodded.

"Wait, Ace!", Damian called, hurrying over.

"I want you to know I am so sorry for what has happened", he said, bowing furiously.

"Here, this is a communicator, it bends your Cosmic Energy and allows us to speak", Damian explained, handing him a large locket-like watch.

"I'll stay in contact with you while I fix this mess, hurry, the Elders might come, and if they see what has happened here, and then realize that Dallas and Onyx are missing, we're all toast!", Damian coaxed, opening a large Blue and White portal.

"Go, I think Dallas is somewhere in the Suburbs!", he shouted, pointing to the portal. Ace nodded, and all three ran through the portal to find Ace's friend.

Somewhere Else...

"L-lemme go!", Onyx struggled against the grip of the Heartless.

"Now now child, no need to get feisty, I simply wish to ask a favor of you", Maleficent laughed as she appeared.

"What could you possibly want with me?", Onyx growled.

"Simple; you are the reincarnation of a once very powerful being, which means you're even stronger. All I need for you to do, is capture the hearts that are sent here, and slowly, we shall create our own Kingom Hearts!", Maleficent laughed.

"No... no!", Onyx wailed.

"Oh, I think you will, if you don't want your friends getting hurt", the witch laughed, a crystal ball showing the image of Ace, Shadow and Minerva.

"Don't you dare!", Onyx hissed.

"Let's see how they handle a couple Novashadow for starters", the witch chuckled, ignoring Onyx' threat. Novashadow appeared, then shot through a portal Maleficent created.

"This will be quite entertaining", Maleficent chuckled as she watch from her crystal.


	2. The Loss Of One Light

**A/N**: Hello again my friends, I have returned once again!

In this episode, we shall introduce:

Miriam Temperance created by: Me!

Rahkshata created by: Raven-XII

READ ON MY FRIENDS!

Intermission...

"Dallas, Dallas Highwind, open ya big mouth for once and answer me!", Ace shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. They had been searching the Suburbs for hours, and not a single trace of the cowboy had been left behind.

"Are you done yet?, I think you're shouting loud enough to wake the dead, no pun intended", Minerva grumbled, floating on her back.

"Well then Minerva, if you have a better idea, I would _love_ to hear it", Ace said sarcastically as he kept walking.

"How I just bring him to us?", Minerva replied exaggeratedly.

"Eh?", Shadow and Ace questioned at the same time.

"Hello?, I control the dead!", Minerva groaned.

"Oh, right, my mistake", Shadow mumbled. Minerva just shook her head, and snapped her fingers. Two Black figures rose from the ground.

"Find the one called Dallas Highwind, and don't make a scene, last time you did, the Red Queen had me fried again", Minerva commanded, shuddering a litttle. The Black figures nodded, and slid into the ground before disappearing completely.

"Now what?", Ace sighed.

"We can take this opportune moment to visit my friend I was telling you about, she might be able to help", Shadow said, opening a portal. Ace looked at Minerva, who smirked slyly, and gestured to the portal.

"Sexy men first". Shadow growled, and Minerva rolled her eyes as she went through. Shadow grabbed his arm and pulled him through.

Intermission(More cookies!)...

Onyx paced her large "bedroom", contemplating to herself.

"Lae, who the hell is Lae?", she mumbled to herself. Onyx suddenly felt dizzy, and sat down. She then had some sort of flashback.

_Flashback..._

_"Seriously Cylux, you've gotta stop smoking those things"._

_"Hey, I have a eternity, lemme smoke one damn cigarette in peace"._

_Another flash..._

_"Hey Kid, aren't you supposed to be with Ansem The Wise?"._

_"You both... have a Cold yet Hot wind"._

_Another flash..._

_"You're pretty handy with that scythe"._

_"Really?, I couldn't have guessed"._

_"Heheh, I'm-"._

_End of Flashback..._

Onyx' eyes shot open.

"Did I... fall asleep?", Onyx trailed off, rubbing her eyes. She stood up, and walked to her window. She must've been a good sixteen stories up.

"What... was that about?".

Intermission(Tea anyone?)...

Ace stared in awe at the city before them. Hallow Bastion was definitely returned to its former glory, and perhaps even more so.

"Let's go, I don't want to keep anyone waiting", Shadow said, hurrying the group along. Ace looked at Minerva, who simply shrugged and followed the anxious Heartless. They came a house, which looked like it had recently had a entire unit remodeling.

"Let's pray she wasn't swept up by the pulse too", Shadow mumbled, looking around, then knocking on the door.

"Who is it now?", a female voice huffed from inside.

"That's no way to say hello to a fellow comrade", Shadow called. There was a series of crashing, and the door opened to reveal a woman with Blonde hair.

"Mon dieu, Shadow, where have you been?, and who is zis?", the woman gasped.

"This is Ace, he's a friend of L-... I mean Onyx", Shadow said, bowing.

"Who would I be to keep a friend outside?, come in, come in", the woman said, beckoning for them to come into the house. It was full of books and scrolls and documents. It was practically a Library.

"How have you been, Rahkshata?", Shadow asked quietly.

"Things have changed since the last Keyblade War, everyone zat knew... "Her" were put to sleep, and I've only found one person zat's recently awakened, and she's none too happy", Rahkshata said, rummaging through a bookcase furiously.

"Okay, first thing's first; who is "Her"?", Ace said, looking at the group with a little scowl. Rahkshata glanced at Shadow uneasily.

"She is Milady", Shadow said, pulling something out of her coat. She then handed Ace a small photo. There was a girl with long Blonde hair and peerless Green eyes. She was with a boy who looked almost exactly like her except his hair was in a ponytail, it wasn't in his face, and his eyes were a Light Pink.

"Her name was Laeliana Lucy Surona, and that is her brother, Aeroan Zevran Surona", Shadow explained.

"They had a dark fate from the very beginning, Milady had... killed her parents at a young age. She and her brother were then found by Ansem The Wise, and they were taken under his wing. One day, a man named... Xehanort, was in charge of looking after Milady while Ansem was away. He showed her hi lab... and then fused her with a Heartless. He had to leave to speak with one of the other scientists, and Aero snuck in and freed her. He then told her to switch clothes with him and run. Milady just barely got out of the lab when it collapsed, and Milord was presumed dead", Shadow explained.

"...Go on", Ace said, nodding slowly.

"Soon afterward, Milady was killed by a beserker Nobody, and was turned into a Nobody. She took the name Lucy, and was named Cylux, the Gaurdian of Twilight. She was formidable for her rank, Eight and a Half, and impressed many of her superiors. But then, Milady was discovered by the leader of Organization 13 as a spy for DiZ, and her memories were erased, and she was placed in the hands of the Restoration Committee, where she believed her name was Lucy, and that she had lived there all her life. One year afterward, one of the Organization members found her, and tried to get her to return to them. When Milady told him she wouldn't, he fought her to bring her back by force, but another appeared and brought him with them".

"..I see", Ace mumbled.

"Milady then got her memory back, and she went to search for her friends. She found them, and joined Rahkshata's resistance. Marco, another of our allies, brought back Milord. Milady soon found that she had feelings for one of the members, and they both accepted it. Then, disaster struck. Just as the final battle was about to take place, Milady was capture by Xehanort, and held hostage. When he did not get what he wanted, he absorbed Milady's energy. In a attempt to save Milady, Reiko said that she could save her at the cost of her memories. When she did this, with Milady's last comprehension of her present time, she gave us the power she had left. We were able to defeat Xehanort, the Wind Mistress Onyx appeared, and offered to take Milady's body as her persona, and Milady would become Onyx Firestone. Somehow, we all fell asleep, and have not awoken until now", Shadow concluded.

"So, Onyx, is actually Lae, but she has no memory of her past life, only Onyx's memories", Ace mumbled, deep in thought.

"Yes, you catch on quickly, Ace Lexington", a teenage female voice said from the back of the room. Someone moved into the light, and Shadow gasped.

"Reiko-San!", Shadow said, bowing.

"Heh, at ease Shadow, no need for formalities", Reiko chuckled. She no longer looked Ten, but sixteen instead. But spiritually, the Cleric Mistress was one hundred and sixteen, still quite a young age for a Cleric. Her hair went from a Pale Silver, to a Neon White, and her skin gained a little color to it. Her eyes now shone as a beautiful Brownish-Orange, and her tattoo was a little larger, and shined. Her hair was tied in a side ponytail that went to her waist, and she was wearing a long bell-sleeved belly shirt that was White with a large Red cross on her chest and a Black bow that connected the collar. She was also wearing a short White Skirt with Black shorts under it. Her skirt had a Black crown on the front which was the crest of Disney Castle, and had Metallic Red trim. Her shoes were now knee-high White boots with Red laces. She had on her wrists and legs Golden bands with vine designs that snaked around one Neon Red, Neon Green, Neon Blue and White gem on each bracelet.

"You have grown, Reiko", Shadow smiled.

"As have you Shadow, time has not touched you in the least", Reiko laughed softly.

"You must be Reiko", Ace said, bowing.

"Yes, I am Reiko Tsukino, the last Cleric Mistress that served in King Mickey's court", Reiko smiled gently.

"Ace Lexington, Lightning Lord in training", Ace greeted.

"I know, I know many things, but, not everything", Reiko nodded, walking over to a bookcase. She then pulled out a scroll, and walked over to hand it to Ace.

"This map will lead you to your friend, one you find him, all of you must return back here, Rahkshata and I have much to discuss, and plans to put into place. We must find the others before Maleficent revives Xehanort, and gains too much power from Imouto", Reiko instructed.

"We would go with you, but ze Heartless are everywhere, and my strength has not come back fully, when you come back, we will divise a plan to get rid of ze pesky creatures", Rahkshata explained.

"It's alright, we best be off", Shadow said, nodding. Ace nodded as well, and followed Minerva and Shadow to wherever the map would lead them.

Intermission(Sushi~!)...

The flashbacks kept coming to Onyx, yet they only lasted mere seconds, and she could only get voices; she couldn't never make out a face. It truly puzzled her, but she stopped pacing when the door opened to reveal a young girl with Navy Blue hair and hollow Green eyes.

"Maleficent needs you, this way please", she said, her voice monitone. Onyx cautiously followed the girl to where the wicked witch was.

The girl bowed before Maleficant, and said,"The Novashadow are seeking out the Fire Lord, and preperations are in place to find your apprentice".

Maleficant smirked, and said,"Excellent, thank you, Miriam".


	3. Why Hello Zexion!

**A/N**: Hello again my friends! This story's popularity is slowly growing. I proof, a new OC has submitted to this story!

In this episode, we tag along with Dallas for a bit, where he meets:

Tsukiko Valentine created by: DarkAng Nikishi Hatake!*Gives cookies*

Cloud Twilight created by: Twilight's Shad0w!*Gives cookie*

And finally, we meet a former ally of Rahkshata's team!

READ ON!

Intermission...

"Damn it, why am I always the one getting lost?", Dallas sighed as he sat down. He knew his own planet inside out, but he sure as hell wasn't on it now. In fact, he didn't know where is was!

"Of all people, me, Dallas Highwind, Fire Lord, has gotten lost!", he shouted, throwing a rock. He sighed again, and lied on his back, staring up at the sun. At least this place was sunny. With groan, Dallas sat up once more, and looked around. He was in a city, he knew that, but he wasn't quite sure which one, there was too many!

"Quiet down over there, some people are trying to read!", a voice shouted from somewhere. Dallas stopped in mid-rant, and looked around. He didn't see anyone.

"Up here you dolt". He behind him to a large tree. Sure enough, on one of the large branches, was a small man. He wasn't _really_ small, but he was just... small for his estimated age. His eyes were a Ice Blue, and his hair was a Dark Blue-ish Silver that slanted over his eye. He had a strange book in his hands, and he was wearing some sort of black coat.

"Who the hell'r you?", Dallas growled, pulling out his gun and pointing it at the man.

"You remind of someone; has no manners, you must be from the western systems, always jumping to conclusions", the man sighed, closing his book and standing on the branch.

"What the hell's that supposed ta mean?", Dallas shouted.

"I simply said that you should wait for someone to explin themselves before pointing a gun at their face", the man huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at Dallas.

"Well then, _sir_, who the hell'r you?", Dallas groaned in agitation.

"Why should I tell you?, you being rather rude to me", the man said flatly, but there was a bit of a taunting expression in that sentence that Dallas sensed.

He lowered his gun, and asked,"What is your name?, I'm Dallas Highwind, a Fire Lord".

The man nodded dismissively, and said,"That's better, this will most likely get me strung up somewhere but, my name is Zexion, a ex-member of Organization XII". Dallas pointed his guns at Zexion's face as soon as he said his name.

"Ooof course", Zexion sighed, rolling his eyes.

"How the hell'r you alive?, yer supposed ta be dead!", Dallas shouted.

"Not dead, asleep, my allies and I were put under a spell it seems, and quite frankly, I'd like to stretch my legs before they get shot off", Zexion grumbled angrily, putting up his pointer finger in exclamation.

"Are there any others?", Dallas demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"I was with Number 9, but we got separated in a rift", Zexion replied, crossing his arms again. Dallas, not having the heart to shoot the man when he had not done anything, sighed, and lowered his gun once more.

"How long as it been?", Zexion asked suddenly.

"At least a hundred years or so", Dallas replied.

"I see... now, where did Tsukiko go...?", Zexion mumbled to himself, looking around.

"Who?", Dallas questioned, raising a eyebrow.

"Tsukiko Valentine, when Number 9 and I had separated, she found me and guided me here, though, she left a while ago, I wonder where she went", Zexion explained, still looking around. Suddenly, a arrow shot right past Dallas's head.

"Jesus Christ!", Dallas said, holding his hat down on his head. A girl with long Red hair with Black tips and Blue-ish Gold eyes jumped out from a tree beside Zexion, another arrow in her bow.

"That, is Tsukiko", Zexion sighed, looking the other way.

"Zexion, do something, don't let her shoot me!", Dallas cried, holding his hands up in surrender.

Zexion shook his head, but said,"Tsukiko, he's of no threat to us". Tsukiko slowly lowered her bow.

"Who are you?", she asked suspiciously.

"Dallas Highwind, Fire Lord", Dallas said slowly, his eyes the size of saucers. Tsukiko 'hmphed', and put her bow in its original spot on her back.

"Zexion, we have to gget moving, Novashadow are heading this way, and they're a nasty group", she said to the short man, still glaring at Dallas.

"Dallas, did you have friends with you before?", Zexion mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, but we got separated, Maleficent took Onyx, an Ace is god knows where", Dallas nodded sadly.

"Well then, you may travel with us as far as Hallow Bastion, I have a hunch that's where they'll be", Zexion nodded. Tsukiko made another 'hmph', and began walking ahead of them.

"Pardon Tsukiko, she doesn't trust people easily", Zexion apologized.

"It's fine, most folks are smart not ta trust a cowboy", Dallas smirked, spinning a pistol before putting it back in its holdster.

"Let's get moving before we lose Tsukiko again", Zexion sighed as they began walking...

Intermission(HOLY SHIT, IT'S A DINOSAUR, HOLY FUCK~!)...

Onyx sat in her room in the corner. Her friends were going to be in trouble, and she couldn't do a damn thing to help them!

"Dammit, I have to get out of here!", she hissed. Suddenly, her window opened, and someone slipped in.

"Who the hell-?".

"Look, we need to get out of here, I was sent for you, know let's go", the man said, looking slightly irritated as he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the window.

"Whoa, at least tell me your name!", she shouted. The man stopped for a moment, then looked at her.

"Cloud, Cloud Twilight". Unknown to Onyx, she for some reason, trsuted this mysterious man. She nodded, and he grabbed her and they jumped out the window.

"Milady will be very displeased", a hollow voice said from inside the room before disappearing.


	4. We Actually Get To Fight!

**A/N**: I think I'm doing pretty well with this, in terms of updating anyways.

NOW, in this episode, Ace's group run into a little trouble... okay, alot of trouble, BUT I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE!*Zips mouth*

Also, we meet a classical favorite...

ENJOY!

Intermission(I got the moves like jagger~!)...

Ace and co. had made a slow treck through Hallow Bastion, or rather, Radiant Garden, and had yet to find any source of Dallas or Onyx.

"I'm hungry", Minerva groaned.

"We shall eat when we decide it is fit", Shadow snapped back, giving Minerva a warning look. Minerva pouted, and looked around. They had left the actual city, and were heading toward the canyon.

"Hey, I remember this place, this is where the Battle Of 1000 Heartless took place", Minerva said, blinking in realization.

"Then this might be a good place to start, Dallas was always attracted to places that had history of major warfare", Ace nodded, starting to climb down the ledge. Shadow followed close behind him, while Minerva groaned once again, and flew down after them. Ace slid down to the bottom, and looked around. It seemed that someone had cause a avalanche of rocks a long time ago, as if to prevent someone from heading in that direction.

"Wow, this place sure had one hell of a fight", Ace commented, looking around in awe.

"Ya damn right, there was Heartless crawling all over this place at one time", Minerva said, flying around slowly.

"I can imagine that-". Someone then crashed into Ace.

"S-sorry, gotta fly, bye!", the boy said quickly getting back up only to be stopped by a group of Novashadow.

"Run, run away!", the boy cried, running the other way only to have the same result.

Shadow grabbed the boy by the coat, and said,"Demyx, calm down, it's me, Shadow!".

The boy looked at her, then gave her a huge hug while saying,"Oh my gosh, Shadow, I'm so happy I found you, Zexion and I got separated from our portal somehow, and these Nova won't leave me alone!". Shadow looked over to the twitching creatures, and sighed.

"Stay behind me Demyx, though honestly, you'd think you'd be able to handle a couple Heartless", Shadow instructed, taking out her kunai.

"Haha, now we're talking!", Minerva laughed. Ace stare at the creatures, and shook his head before flicking his hands, and two nunchaku appeared in his hands.

"Let's see here...aha!, Spirits of the Underworld, take these Heartless to Hell with ya!", Minerva shouted, grinning. A whirlwind of Black Spirits appeared, and sucked up a few Heartless before disappearing.

"There's ya damn dinner Cerberus...", Minerva mumbled, swiping her hands across each other to get rid of dirt that had gotten on her hands. Shadow kicked a Heartless that had managed to sneek passed the other two, and span to cut down a few others. Demyx stayed behind Shadow, completely and utterly distraught.

"THEY'RE GONNA EAT ME!", Demyx shouted, ducking from a Heartless that jumped at him. Shadow span around and cut the Heartless clean in half.

"Dammit Demyx SHUT UP!", Shadow shouted, smacking him upside the head before flipping onto her hands and spinning, kicking Heartless away and destroying them.

"How are you holding up Ace?", Minerva called to the Lightning Lord, who was currently trying to kick a Nova off of humself.

"What the hell do _you_ think?", Ace shouted, glaring at the ghost.

"Sorry", Minerva mumbled, kicking the Heartless off of Ace, destroying it.

"It's still a wonder how you do that", Ace mumbled.

"I'm a ghost with badass abilities Ace, put two and two together, eat a sandwich, take a nap, whaddaya get? ME!", Minerva said, pointing to herself with a smirk.

"That's just sad...", Ace sighed, punching another Heartless and smacking another over the head with a nunchaku. Shadow had finished the Heartless coming after Demyx and herself, and sighed as Demyx ran and hid behind a large piece of debris.

"Your welcome", she grumbled, hurrying over to the other two. Minerva quickly dispatched the ones after her, but Axe had just finished the ones that were after him.

"Ace, my grandmother could move faster than you!", Minerva shouted.

"Your grandmother is dead!", he shot back.

"EXACTLY!".

"Oh mio Dio, will you two shut up?, we have work to do!", Shadow shouted, grabbing both of them and smacking their heads together, much to both of their displeasures.

"Owie Shadow, that hurt!", Minerva pouted.

"It was supposed to!", Shadow growled. Minerva grumbled, and turned away from Shadow, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Oh for-...Demyx, get over here, now", Shadow said in a shaky tone. Demyx wasted no time in hurrying to the Heartless.

"Are you and Zexion the only ones that woke up?", she asked calmly.

"I dunno, he was the only one I saw when I did wake up, and then we got separated shortly afterward!", Demyx cried, still upset over the Nova's attempts to kill him.

"Demyx, would you calm down for one minute while we try to figure this out?", Shadow shouted at the blonde, who instantly went silent, fearing the 22 year-old Heartless.

"Now...first thing's first; we must bring you to Rahkshata and hope you can stay out of trouble", Shadow said, taking a deep breath.

"I'm cool with that", Demyx squeaked, nodding quickly. Shadow shook her head, and opened a portal.

"We will continue our search for Dallas when we calm Demyx down, I fear he'll die of fright if we don't do something", Shadow explained, pushing said blonde into the portal before following.

"Great; more headaches", Ace mumbled, walking through, Minerva following as well.

Intermission(I'M ON THE EDGE, OF GLORY~!)...

"Wh-where are we going?", Onyx coughed as she and Cloud landed on the ground.

"I haven't figured that part out yet but, look, I can't let them catch me helping you, I'd get into some deep shit", Cloud breathed, looking around cautiously.

"Who?, Who is they?", Onyx questioned as Cloud pulled her around a narrow corner.

"Maleficent and Miriam; if they catch me I'm toast", Cloud hissed, looking around again.

"Look, this is as far as I can take you, go through that gate and into the forest, you'll have a shot at freedom from there, now go", he whispered, pointing to the Gate a few feet away.

"Thank you Cloud", Onyx said quickly. She then ran through the Gate and was out of sight.

"I am disappointed in you Cloud", a voice said from behind him. Cloud quickly span around end crossed his katanas. Standing a few feet away was Mir.

"I'm guessing you saw", Cloud growled.

"Nice guess", Mir replied, putting a hand on her hip.

"Which means I'm in deep shit", Cloud groaned.

"Very deep; you knew that Onyx is a essential component to Maleficent's plans, yet you let her go like she was a measly rat stuck in a fence. I still can't see why Maleficent keeps you around", Mir nodded, sighing as she flipped her hair.

"Maybe because I actually get off my ass and do my job instead of sucking up to her like a lost puppy", Cloud growled again, gripping his katanas a little tighter.

"You know, it's bad to disrespect your superiors", Mir said, taking off a single green silk glove. A green glowing mandala was imprinted on her hand.

"Especially when I have you trained like a obediant dog". Cloud flinched, and ran at Mir. When he went for a downward slash however, Mir simply grabbed both of his blades as if they were plastic.

"Do you really think that's going to work against me?, I am the other of one of the greatest warriors of the third Keyblade War, you will have to do better than that", Mir laughed. She then kicked him in the stomach, sending him backwards into a wall, and she smiled sadistically.

"I give you one last chance Cloud; surrender peacefully and we won't have to go through another Lesson, or don't surrender, and go through another painful experience", Mir sighed, rubbing the hand with the glowing mandala slowly.

"What would you think my answer is?", Cloud coughed, standing up slowly. Mir clicked her tongue a few times in disappointment.

"And here I thought I already taught you all your manners, such a shame", she sighed, her smile fading. She snapped her fingers, and a green collar-like bind wrapped around Cloud's neck. Cloud tried to pull it off, but it only got tighter.

"Now, are you going to be a good boy?", Mir asked, slowly walking toward him, where he was on his knees, clutching the bind.

"Go to hell", he wheezed.

"I'm sorry, but we already are in hell", Mir giggled, the mandala on her hand glowing brighter. She snapped her fingers again, and the bind got tighter.

"I just love watching you writhe in pain, it's very relaxing", Mir sighed, smiling contently. Cloud couldn't speak, because it felt like his windpipe was getting crushed.

"Miriam, that is enough", a voice said. Mir sighed, and the mandala slowly lost its glow, and the bind disappeared, making Cloud gasp for air.

"I'm sorry Maleficent, it's just that well, he let Onyx escape", Mir apologized.

"I know", Maleficent muttered.

"But...perhaps we can use this to our advantage...".

Intermission(A SKY FULL OF LIGHTERS~!)...

Reiko and Rahkshata were sitting at a table looking at a map when a portal opened, and Demyx stumbled in, followed by Shadow and the others.

"I see you've found Demyx, another headache to add to my collection", Rahkshata mumbled, rubbing her forehead.

"Hey, I just almost died, again!", Demy shouted at Rahkshata, waving his hands around wildly.

"Mon dieu, do you three have any information zat could be proven useful?", Rahkshata groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Just then, Ace's Communicator beeped, and a small hologram of Damian appeared.

"I have excellent news for you my friend!", Damian said, clapping his hands together.

"And that would be?", Ace asked, a little annoyed.

"I picked up both Dallas and Onyx's Cosmic Energies, Onyx is in the forest, and Dallas is currently travelling with two others, a girl, a descendant of a Valentine it seems, and a man, rather short, who has no Cosmic Energy at all, or any energy for that matter", Damian replied.

"That must be Zexy!", Demyx exclaimed.

"Er, is the person you're speaking of short, silverish-blue hair, goes over one eye, always has a book in his hand, black cloak?", Damian asked, raising a eyebrow as he waved his hands around in emphasis.

"Yep, that's Zexy all right!", Demyx cheered.

"Um, yes well, Dallas is heading to this location under the guidance of the Valentine and...Zexion it seems", Damian said, clapping his hands together once again.

"How'd you figure out his name?", Shadow questioned, purely out of curiosity.

"Well, I focused on what DNA energy I could detect, and sent it through my computer. From there, it came up as a boy named Ienzo, presumed dead after the tragic collapse of Radiant Garden. I then realized that these two are the same people, and simply did a little switch-a-roo and plopped a "x" in there, and lookey there, we have Zexion, the full name of Zexy", Damian replied, a little overexcited to explain his "genius".

"And you did this all in about 7 seconds?", Shadow chuckled, raising a eyebrow.

"But of course!, no Firestone can live without a little talent. Mine is that I can process things much faster than the average human, hence the reason I'm considered a genius here at Cosmic Gateway", Damian said proudly, straightening out his jacket.

"Look at Onyx for instance. The girl is to be the next guardian of the Wind. While Ace is to exhibit Lightning, and Dallas has already passed his exam, and his the current worshipper of Fire", Damian continued.

"If one of them were to die, then the element they control would be destroyed forever, since they are the only ones with the capabilites to control it. If the dog is without its master, it will die of starvation. You see, the energy they have is called Cosmic Energy. The element they control cooperates with them in exchange to feed on their Cosmic Energy. If they were to die, the Cosmic Energy would cease to run through their bodies, and the element would ultimately die".

"That's awful", Shadow mumbled.

"Truly, and even worse part is, they did not choos to train for this, they were chosen by the Elders, simply because they were compatible", Damian said gravely, nodding.

"To be perfectly honest, Onyx seems to be the only one who makes the best of it", Ace sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"You should give Dallas some credit as well Ace, he's already a Fire Lord, which means his responsibilities are at their max", Damian said sternly.

"She is to be the last to take her exam because she was last to start her training. The reason no one was picked sooner was because Wind is a very picky element, it can only bond with one person a generation, something to do with the original creator being a bloody bitch", Damian ranted, flipping his hair.

"But anyways, if you go through the Bailey, you should meet Dallas and the other two as they pass through, as for Onyx, I'll keep close watch on her and tell you if there's any trouble", he sighed, turning off the Communicator.

"Well, he's certainly a brainiac", Rahkshata hummed out loud.

"Quite, not to mention he has the ego behind it that's the size of the fucking multiverse", Ace grumbled.

"I heard that", came Damian's voice from the watch. Ace rolled his eyes, and sighed.

"Well, let's get going guys, Demyx, do...whatever you used to do", he grumbled, heading out the door.

"Sit and play your Sitar, and most importantly, don't get yourself killed", Shadow emphasised, following Ace.

"We'll be back soon", Minerva giggled, winking at Demyx, who shuddered slightly as he ran to a couch.


	5. A Dark Encounter

**A/N: **I would like to take this moment to thank all of those who have submitted . Now, I am still taking , but just so I don't get confused, when you submit your O.C, please choose which side you are on, Maleficent's, or Ace's. THANK YOU!

ALRIGHT! In this episode, I would like to introduce:

Drake Blade by theblackbloodwriter

Caxe and Gexo by Caxe

Thorn by XIIIXV

In this episode, A long-time friend of the original team appears, with good or bad news, well, that honestly depends on him...

ENJOY!

Intermission(hou ha, houha!)...

"I think I'm far enough", Onyx breathed, letting her self fall on her bottom as she leaned on a rock. She looked back, and could only vaguely see the castle that Maleficent had kept her in. Slowly turning her head back, she groaned as she rubbed her arm. She had cut it on her way through the forest because she fell on it, and a sharp rock ripped through her flesh.

"I'm gonna have to get that bandaged soon, or it'll get infected", she muttered, rubbing her arm some more.

"You know, If I was running I'd be a little quieter", a voice said above her. Onyx quickly rolled forward, jumped up and turned. Sitting lazily on the rock was a girl with long black hair with bangs that covered her right eye, and her eyes were midnight black, just like her eyes. She was wearing a black shirt over a blue one, a pair of black shorts that ended mid-thigh, black combat boots, and quite the collection of bracelets. She also had quite a few scars, most likely from previous battles.

"You're not chasing me too, are you?", Onyx groaned, looking around for a escape route.

"Hate to break it to you honey, but I was given the _delightful_ duty of bringing you back to the castle", the girl sighed, standing up on the rock and stretching.

"So, we can do this two ways. You can come with me peacefully and avoid any fatal injuries, or you can resist, and I'll have to break every bone in your body, one by one", she groaned, getting off the rock. Onyx looked around nervously, then looked back to the girl.

"I'd rather take the second option; thanks", Onyx huffed, standing straight. She then clapped her hands together, and did a windmill motion where a double-bladed spear appeared in one hand. It had a red staff, and the blades were shaped like long, sharp arrows that were gold, and blue marking and a purple gem at the base of each blade. She span it and rested it in both of her hands close to her chest.

"I see, you're gonna be difficult...", the girl sighed. She flicked her arm, and the Oblivion keyblade appeared in her hand, only there was a rose keychain with small metal thorns on the chain, and it was a dark red.

"Oh well, fine by me; I haven't been able to torture someone in a while", she shrugged, putting both hands on her keyblade before going into a stance with the keyblade over her head sideways, pointing at Onyx.

"Name's Thorn, might as well know it since it's the only thing you're gonna remember when I'm done with you", she greeted, spinning the blade so she was holding it the opposite way.

"I wouldn't get cocky if I were you; I may be sixteen but I'm stronger than you think", Onyx warned, holding her spear a little tighter.

"Then why are you shaking?". Onyx blinked, and noticed her hands were shaking violently.

"Adrenaline", she replied simply. It was half true; she hadn't been in a actual fight before because she had yet to take her Wind Exam. But it wasn't adrenaline; it was because she had never seen a keyblade before, much less fought against one.

"Well, let's see if that adrenaline can keep you alive", Thorn laughs, suddenly charging at Onyx, faster than she expected. Onyx managed to spin her spear so that it interlocked with Thorn's blade, but just barely.

"Hm, at least you have _some_ reflexes", Thorn smirked before quickly spinning and leg-sweeping Onyx. Onyx yelps in surprise, but quickly flips backward, and spins, creating a small twister that shot toward Thorn.

"Now we're talking!", Thorn grins, backflipping out of the way of the twister.

"That's not going to save you", Onyx growled. She opens her palm and turns it all the way to the right, and the twister turned around and shot back toward Thorn.

"What the?", Thorn growled, jumping out of the way again. She then swiftly turns, and slices the twister in half.

"What?", Onyx shouted, eyes getting wide.

"I have a lot of experience under my belt honey; I know how to handle a simple breeze", Thorn scoffs, spinning her keyblade again.

"Now, let's get that cruel mutilation going". Thorn then jumps, and spins, becoming a red and black blur.

"Uh-oh", Onyx whimpered, bracing herself. She brings her spear upward in front of her, and spins it as sparks shoot everywhere while Thorn impacted.

"C'mon, I don't like torturing someone who doesn't fight back!", she growled, breaking the deadlock and shooting passed Onyx' side, cutting it open. Onyx' eyes widened as she heard the sound of her flesh being ripped open. She groans in pain as she holds her side, her hand almost instantly getting drenched in blood. She then noticed that Thorn was staring at her.

"What?", she shouted, narrowing her eyes.

"Your blood", she murmured, pointing. Onyx whipped her head to look at the wound, and her eyes widen.

"It's black". Thorn was in fact telling the truth. The blood seeping through her clothing, through her hand and onto the ground was in fact black.

_'That's never happened before!'_, Onyx thinks, still staring at the wound.

"I can't wait to get that all over my hands", Thorn grinned, spinning her keyblade again. The black-haired girl then shoots at Onyx, who squeezes her eyes shot. She heard the sound of connecting metal, but felt no pain whatsoever.

"Hey lady, you alright?", a annoyed voice asked her. She opened her eyes, and saw blood red eyes. She looked around, and saw that she was in a tree.

"Um, yeah-".

"Great, ya hear that Gexo?, we can go now!", the boy shouted, turning his head. Onyx looked in the same direction to see another boy with another keyblade that had a montage of fire and ice on it interlocked with Thorn's.

"I'm a little busy!", Gexo shouted, clearly irritated as he pushed Thorn back and span only for Thorn to jump back.

"Well now, the more the merrier!", Thorn shouted, running back at Gexo.

"Oh crap!", he shouted, bending backwards as Thorn tried to cloth-line him with her blade. He then backflipped onto his hands, knocking the keyblade out of Thorn's hands, and spins, knocking her into another tree.

"Nice moves man!", the first boy called.

"Caxe, do me a favor and don't distract me!, help the girl out!", Gexo shouted back before jumping out of the way of Thorn's attack, her keyblade back in hand.

"Oh fine!", Caxe growled, turning back to Onyx.

"Where ya hurting-oh...that's gonna leave a mark", he hissed, his eyebrows knitting together in concentration.

"Erm, well, we got some bandages", he muttered, pulling out a bandage roll from the pack behind him.

"Thank you", Onyx nodded.

"Eh, no sweat. We were passing by and Gexo saw ya two duking it out, so we came to help. For some reason that girl pisses me off", Caxe shrugged, beginning to treat Onyx' wound.

"Black blood...well, ya don't see that everyday", he muttered, beginning to put on the bandage.

"That just recently happened; I don't know what happened to my blood", Onyx explained, shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness that was beginning to creep up on her. Both teenagers turned their attention to Gexo when they heard a loud CLANG!

Thorn was on the ground, and Gexo had his keyblade at her throat. "I'll be back, I'd rather not die today", Thorn growled, disappearing in a portal. Gexo stands straight before groaning and falling on his bottom.

"You alright Gexo?", Caxe called.

"Fine", Gexo replied sarcastically, jumping into the tree the other two were situated in.

"Let's get you somewhere safe", Gexo said, helping Onyx to her feet.

"What's your name?".

"Onyx".

Intermission(THIS, IS, WAR~!)...

"Reiko, now zat we are alone...whatever happened to-?", Rahkshata started.

"He's somewhere safe", Reiko replied flatly, staring at the map. Rahkshata pursed her lips in slight concern, but shook it off. Just then the door knocked.

"I GOT IT!", Demyx shouted, running to the door.

There was the sound of the door opening, then,"OH MY GOD!", and then the sound of something falling over. Demyx then came in dragging someone along with him.

"Guys, look who I found!", Demyx grinned.

"More like who found you", the person muttered.

Reiko blinked several times before gaping slightly.

"Drake!".

**A/N**: Mwahaha, sorry Blood, but you gotta have cliffhangers _some_ time. I'm working slowly, but I'm gonna keep updating.

ADIOS!


	6. Familiar Faces

**A/N: **Oh my god, I am _so_ sorry I haven't updated lately, but school's been a pain in the ass, I got sick, or, actually, I still am sick, and everything's just been hectic. So I'm gonna try and make it up to my faithful subscribers to this story ^^

Today, we shall introduce:

Alera By XIIIXV

Raven By Raven-XIII

In this episode, Dallas and his new-found allies meet someone who apparently knows what the hell is going on!, Onyx and the other two find they're in for a bitter surprise, and Ace and co. meet the one and only Miriam, who for some reason, Shadow knows all too well...

Intermission...

"So, lemme get this straight, yer 'sayin that you guy's have been 'sleepin for one hundred years, as a spell that one of yer own casted, ta save, one of yer own?", Dallas asked the short Nobody beside him, tilting his hat slightly in an attempt to block out the torturous rays of the sun from his face.

"If put in simple terms; yes, that's correct", Zexion nodded, flipping a page in his book before bringing his free leather-gloved hand to his chin, apparently reading pensively.

"That's a little messed up in my opinion", Dallas laughed shortly, glancing over at Tsukiko, who kept walking ahead of them, not even glancing to see if the other two were even following at all.

"Yes well, back when this all started, nothing really ever made _any_ logical sense at all", Zexion shrugged, glancing up at Dallas from the side for a moment before burying himself in his book again.

"So, what's her story?", he asked Zexion quietly, glancing up at Tsukiko again, though she didn't notice at all.

"Hmm, I don't really know. Apparently her parents are dead. She lived with her Uncle Zack, and is related to Vincent Valentine according to her claims. She found me when I washed up on the beach, and was trying to help me get back to Hallow Bastion before you arrived", Zexion explained just as quietly, eying Tsukiko's back carefully, as if she were a disease.

"That sucks, my friends and I never knew our parents, we joked that I was born of fire, Ace was brought down in a strike of lightning, and Onyx drifted over on a current of wind", he chuckled.

"I see, so you say you and your friends control the elements?", Zexion questioned softly, turning yet another page of his book.

"Yeppers, I already passed my exam so I can make fire outta thin air, Ace can zap anything to death, and Onyx can make a hurricane if ya tick 'er off enough", Dallas grinned proudly.

"Interesting, I take your friends and yourself are quite gifted in your world?", Zexion nodded slowly, looking up from his book to jumped over a fallen log with Dallas simply kicking it out of his way like it was a twig. This action caused Zexion to stare.

"What?, there something on my face?", he asked, pointing to himself.

"No, you pushed that log out of the way like it was nothing, that's rather strong for your appearance", Zexion blinked, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, scolding himself for staring.

"Oh, that's natural. My friends and I possess alotta strength for us to meddle with, but sometimes we get in trouble for what we do with it...like throwing one of Damian's ship into space...", Dallas explained with a grin, mumbling the last part sheepishly.

"Who is this...Damian?", Zexion mumbled, raising an eyebrow at Dallas.

"Wow, for a Organization member you sure as hell ask alotta questions. Damian is Onyx's cousin. He was the one that's been looking after her ever since she could remember, well, him and his family. But his family disappeared as soon as Damian was old enough to fend for himself, poor guy", Dallas sighed.

"I see", Zexion said simply, going back to following Tsukiko and reading his book at the same time.

"Wow, short attention span much?", Dallas muttered, following the other two.

"What was that?", Zexion asked.

"Nothing, nothing", Dallas said quickly, putting his hands in his pockets and looking up at the sky innocently.

"So where are we?", he said loudly, which resulted with Tsukiko giving him a dirty look.

"We're on Destiny Islands in case you haven't noticed", Tsukiko replied shortly.

"Aren't we friendly?", Dallas muttered rhetorically.

"I don't trust you, and I don't have to", Tsukiko bit out. Dallas stuck his tongue out at her childishly while she wasn't looking, and sighed heavily. Tsukiko suddenly stopped.

"What's 'goin on?", Dallas huffed, crossing his arms and walking up beside.

"Well I'll be damned, is he dead?", said cowboy mumbled in astonishment. There, sprawled out on the road a little ways ahead of them, was a boy. He looked unconscious, and was wearing all black. The only different color that caught his eyes, was what seemed to look like a purple ribbon held tightly in his hand, even as he was knocked out.

"Should we help him?", Dallas inquired.

"Help who-...well, and here I thought I'd never see a familiar face ever again", Zexion chuckled lowly, closing his book and walking over to the boy. He got down on one knee before poking the boy with one finger until he stirred slightly.

"You know, it's not usually healthy to take a nap in the woods", Zexion said to the boy, cracking the smallest of smirks. The boy slowly sat up, and looked around before facing Zexion.

"...Zexion?", the boy asked numbly.

"Do you know another?", Zexion replied.

"Where are we?", the boy mumbled, rubbing his forehead, beginning to develop a headache.

"We're on Destiny Islands, my new allies and I were headed for Hallow Bastion, and then we found you playing roadkill in the middle of the path", the silver-haired man explained, handing the boy a potion, which he drank with little to no hesitation.

"Uh, Zexion, who's the 'lil guy?", Dallas questioned, raising an eyebrow at said boy. The boy gave him a sharp look before finishing the potion.

"I'm not small thank you", the boy muttered.

"This my friend, is another one of my old comrades from outside the Organization, Dallas Highwind, meet Raven", Zexion introduced.

"Nice to meet ya Raven", Dallas grinned.

"Pleasure", Raven muttered, not looking fully at Dallas.

"Um, you okay?", Dallas asked, blinking as he walked over.

"Something wrong with ya face?", he wondered, crouching down beside Raven. Raven didn't answer, and instead flipped his hood on and stood up.

"Wow, not a whole lot of friendly faces around these days", Dallas muttered as he stood up and fixed his hat.

"Pardon Raven, he was like that alot, well, was, until _she_ helped us kidnap him", Zexion said, his eyes turning a little dark as he glanced at Raven.

"Who's she?", Dallas questioned. Zexion's gaze shifted to the ground and Raven stayed silent.

"Our comrade we tried to save", Zexion answered, his voice only a little bit above a whisper.

"Well, what's her name?". Zexion bit his lip a little.

"We...don't really talk about her much", he answered again, his voice still quiet.

"Um...okay...", Dallas said slowly.

"Raven, do you want to come to Hallow Bastion with us?", Zexion asked, his mood changing to its normal flat demeanor. Raven seemed to look on ahead for a long moment.

"I guess...if my guess is right then Rahkshata's still alive and might know why this is happening again", Raven mumbled flatly.

"Again?", Dallas mumbled, his face contorting with confusion.

"...Let's go already", Raven pushed, starting to walk ahead.

"Man, this guy's worse than her", Dallas sighed sharply, glancing over at Tsukiko, who in return to his comment, shot an arrow at him. Dallas quickly turned and in the blink of an eye, caught the arrow just inches from his eye.

"I don't know if this goes for your world as well, but in my world allies don't generally shoot each other", Dallas said, his face and tone turning serious. Tsukiko stared at Dallas for a long moment before scoffing and following Raven.

"I'm sorry Dallas, you'll understand everything when we get to Hallow Bastion", Zexion said pensively as he followed the other two.

"I sure as blazing hell hope so", the blonde sighed before hurrying after the others.

Intermission...

"Lemme guess your story: You were with your friends, then some freak accident happened, you got kidnapped, escaped, got chased by that madwoman, and have no idea at all as to why you're bleeding black blood", Caxe drawled as he gestured with his hands. He and Gexo were in the middle of trying to get Onyx to civilization. Er, rather, Gexo was the one carrying Onyx, while Cexo,"Supervised" from ahead.

"That's quite the educated guess", Onyx mumbled, half asleep.

"Meh, we get around". Caxe shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

"You know Caxe, you could help a little by carrying her too", Gexo grumbled as he shifted his hands to get a better hold on Onyx.

"But who's gonna look out for the town?, you get lost easily Gexo, so it's only natural that the human compass leads the way!", Caxe grinned.

"More like human pain-in-the-ass", Gexo muttered under his breath. Thankfully his brother did not hear him, and he stuck his tongue out at him while his back was turned, causing Onyx to giggled quietly. It was not like she wanted to be carried, but the moment she tried walking after the two helped her out, her legs gave out, and they absolutely refused to let her walk. And so, in short, she is now being carried by a person she trusted, but didn't really even know.

"So, oh wise compass, where are we?", Gexo asked sarcastically.

"Well Gexo, it appears we are in the same exact spot we were in twenty minutes ago", Caxe replied cheerily.

"...We're lost aren't we?".

"Yep". Gexo sighed miserably before looking back toward Caxe.

"You see?, this is why I should have lead instead", Gexo groaned.

"So, now what do we do?", Onyx asked quietly.

"Well, we could always start a forest fire and hope someone sees it!", Caxe suggested.

"How about we don't and say we did", Gexo huffed, clearly annoyed by the situation his brother had put them in.

"So what do you suppose we do Mr.I'm-Smart?", Caxe growled back.

"People use trails in this forest a lot, we find a place that can give us shelter from rain, and wait for someone to find us", Gexo suggested.

"Yeah well tha-...that actually makes sense".

"I thought so, now let's go".

Intermission...

"So we're close to the Bailey apparently?", Ace wondered quietly as he and the other two walked.

"Sì, the Bailey is a little ways ahead", Shadow nodded, watching a blast from the defense grid pop up from beside her.

"So, what do we do when we get there?", Minerva yawned as she floated next to them on her back.

"We wait for Ace's friend to come, simple", Shadow explained.

"Oh, but that's so boring!", Minerva whined.

"Everything is boring to you if it doesn't envolve torture, seduction or just plain humiliation", Shadow snapped back.

"...Touche", Minerva grumbled.

"Here we are, the Bailey", Shadow said as she opened the metal gates the prevented entrance. Ace sneezed as he walked down the stairs, dust being kicked up with his steps.

"Seems like no one's been here in a while", he said, rubbing his nose as he looked around.

"Indeed", Shadow nodded.

"Fancy seeing you here, Shadow", a voice giggled, bouncing off the walls of the Bailey.

"Who's there?", Shadow demanded, looking around carefully.

"Aww, you don't remember me?, I'm hurt", the voice sighed. A dark purple portal of sorts opened in the air above them, and a girl stepped out. But this wasn't any girl.

"I see Maleficent has you doing her dirty work, Miriam", Shadow snarled as she narrowed her eyes at Mir.

"Shadow, who's this?", Ace asked, eyes glaring at Mir.

"This is Miriam, she was the Nobody half of Milady that went dark shortly after being created", Shadow hissed angrily.

"It's not dirty work, I get to have pets to train and have fun with, it's quite worth my while", she giggled cynically.

"And I can only guess what you mean by 'pets'; humans that you've bound by your mandala, forcing them to bend to your will", Shadow said pointedly, crossing her arms.

"Such power from such a lowly Nobody like you is extraordinary". Mir's face darkened as she narrowed her eyes at Shadow.

"I do believe you need to learn some manners!", she shouted as she darted toward Shadow. Shad jumped and flipped as she slammed her foot onto Mir's back, causing her to crash to the ground.

"Ace, Minerva, get out of here and warn Rahkshata!", Shadow commanded as she quickly took out a kunai to deadlock with a large single chakram.

"But what about you!", Ace growled.

"Just go, I can take care of this annoyance!", Shadow shouted as she backflipped and leg-sweeped Mir.

"But-".

"Ace, we can't change her mind, we have to go", Minerva said, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the Bailey.

Intermission...

"Would you like some water Drake?", Reiko asked worriedly.

"Yeah, water would be good right about now", Drake nodded. Reiko nodded in reply and hurried off to fetch the water.

"Well Drake, I see zat you are not dead, that's a small rise in hope zat ze other are still alive", Rahkshata said as she sat across from him at the table.

"Gee, nice to know you missed me", Drake muttered under his breath.

"Have you seen any other ze others?", Rahkshata asked, pretending she didn't hear Drake.

"No, I tried searching for Mother but got ganged up on by Heartless, so I had to make a run for it", Drake shook his head, looking down at the table.

"I see, Blaez was not with you?", Rahkshata asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"I thought she was with you when Reiko casted the spell".

"I thought so to, but when I woke up, she was no where to be found", Drake sighed.

"I haven't seen anyone but you guys since I woke up, sorry". Rahkshata narrowed her eyes again in deep thought.

"Which most likely means ze rest of us are scattered around", she mumbled.

"What do we do?, sit here and wait for them to find us themselves?", Demyx questioned quietly.

"No. Maleficent is rising in terms of power and we can't sit here and let that happen. As soon as Drake is feeling better and my power has returned, we'll get Ace, Minerva and Shadow. Zen we'll split and start searching worlds. We won't even stand a chance if we wait", Rahkshata shook her head.

"Who's Ace?", Drake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A new ally, Shadow brought him when she first came here", Rahkshata replied.

"Huh, cool, I gues...", Drake shrugged as Reiko came back and handed him the water.

"Thanks Reiko", he grinned as he took it.

"You're welcome", she nodded.

"So, let's hope we can rest up quick and hit the road", Drake said as he took a sip of his drink.

"Yes, let's-". The door slammed open to so Ace leaning on it, breathing heavily.

"Rahkshata, Shadow told us to warn you that someone named Mir is fighting with her in the Bailey", he said between breaths.

"Miriam, she's still around?", Rahkshata said seriously.

"Which means she must be working for Maleficent now. Reiko, I'm sorry but I think Shadow will need your help", she said, looking toward the Cleric.

"Yes m'am, Ace, lead me to her", Reiko nodded, bracelets forming on her hands and ankles.

"R-right, this way", he nodde before hurrying out the door, Reiko following quickly behind.

"So Maleficent has placed her Queen in harms way already", Rahkshata mumbled as the door closed.

"What move will she make next?".

**A/N**: Phew, it's FINALLY finished! I know it seems kinda half-assed, but there's a reason for it I promise. I hope I got everyone in character, but then again, everyone has their little emo time.

I now bid you, adieu XD


	7. All Above

**A/N**: Yes, I am back, aha! Anyways, shit's gonna go down in this chapter. And to people who have O Cs, I'm working on putting them in if I have not already!

Okie-dokie, today, we introduce:

C.H.I by me!

In this episode, Shadow and Mir duke it out, but can Shadow hold against Mir and her new abilities?, also, Onyx and co. run into Dallas and his companions. But what's this? Three of the four know her?

Intermission...

"Is that really the best you can do Shadow?", Mir asked as her cynical laugh ripped through the air of the Bailey as Shadow continued to jump from place to place, staying a reasonable distance from Mir, all the while throwing knife after knife at the Nobody.

"I'm just warming up", Shadow hissed as she jumped from the ceiling and slammed her head into Mir's stomach, causing her to stagger a little while Shadow backflipped away.

"You always did fight like an animal", Mir chuckled as she regained her breath, her right arm wrapping around her front as if to protect her stomach from another possible assault.

"Why thank you, at least I didn't torture my enemies first", Shadow gritted before darting back toward Mir, only to deadlock with her counterpart another countless time.

"Oh, but torturing is the best part; it's always refreshing to watch them grovel in pain, making them beg for mercy, just like I did to Milady", Mir giggled innocently. Rage erupted in Shadow eyes as she snarled like an animal, and pushed their weapons up before roundhouse kicking Mir, and sending her crashing through one of the walls, and down the stairs, toward the passage way of the old castle.

"You lost your right to call her Milady!", Shadow started as she followed Mir while she rolled down the steps.

"When you gave her up to Xehanort!", she screamed as she brought one leg up, and was about to slam it down on Mir's chest. Said Nobody quickly portaled from her spot on the floor to a ledge high above Shadow as she brought her leg down, creating a large crater, and stone debris to fly everywhere, dust and dirt arising from the impact.

"Come now, we all knew it was coming", Mir scoffed as she sat on the ledge with her legs crossed.

"The whole team knew what her role in the war was, I just sped up the process", she shrugged, flipping a little bit of her long navy blue hair behind her shoulders.

"You killed her that's what you did, after all the mercy, kindness and care she gave you, you went and killed her!", Shadow growled darkly as she crouched before shooting up into the air, and swinging on hand with a kunai in it toward Mir's face. Mir deadpanned before grabbing her arm, and flipping her, slamming her back onto the cold stone platform, making her gasp quietly in pain.

"I've gotten much better thanks to Lady Maleficent's training", she grinned evilly before slamming a booted foot into Shadow stomach.

"Gah!", she coughed, blood splattering from her mouth. She grabbed Mir's foot, and as she stood up, she span and threw Mir into another wall, making another large crater. She breathed heavily as she jumped down from the platform, and walked slowly over to where Mir had slid down the wall, a small trail of smeared blood making a mark on the stone.

"You may...huff...have gotten...better, but you're not...huff...good enough...huff...to beat me", Shadow said as she loomed over Mir, who was slack against the wall, eyes closed. As Shadow turned to leave however, she was suddenly surrounded by Samurai Nobody.

"How did I know...huff...it was too good...huff...to be true?", she groaned as she grabbed her kunai from their sheaths on her waist.

"Because Shadow, Heartless are mindless creatures, Nobodies think, you are inferior to me", Mir grinned as she appeared in the air, the one against the wall disappearing.

"Damn...", Shadow grunted quietly.

"INCOMING!", shouted a loud voice before a spray of bullets shot down, destroying all Nobodies except for Mir.

"Look out below!". A figure suddenly dropped down and slammed a foot into Mir stomach, kicking her deep into the wall.

"I admit, your timing is impeccable, Chi", Shadow coughed. The black and white-haired girl, now at an age of roughly 20, turned and grinned at Shadow as she twirled her pistols.

"I like my appearances to be...fresh and ideal", Chi grinned, looking back at Mir as she staggered back into view, holding onto her stomach tightly with a glare.

"Heh, I was wondering when you'd show up, you pathetic demon," Mir said, voice shallow. Chii's attack to her stomach probably caused a few broken ribs with Mir slammed into the wall.

"Whatever you say sweetheart, night-night," Chii smirked before pulling the trigger of her pistols.

Intermission...

"IT'S A ROAD! WE'RE SAVED!," Rang out of the forest as Onyx's group ran toward a trail...or rather, Gexo and Caxe ran...Onyx was still on Gexo's back.

"I think I see Hallow Bastion from here!," Caxe grinned, straining to see the small stand-out of Hallow Bastion.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!," Gexo rolled his eyes before they headed quickly down the trail. The group continued down the trail, the two brothers conversing happily...until they got stopped. A large blast of a blue fireball shot at the three, causing Gexo hop to the side while Caxe just plainly dropped to the ground.

"You let Onyx go right this instant!". It was none other than Dallas, stalking up to the two with a scowl on his face.

"Dallas! You got it all wrong!," Onyx interjected, Gexo setting her down on a rock. Dallas turned and raised an eyebrow at Onyx.

"Are you serious?," he groaned.

"Yes! These guys saved me! They didn't capture me!," Onyx sighed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. Just then, Zexion came jogging over to Dallas before smacking him over the head with his book.

"Next time, warn us before you go off and-". He stops short before silently walking over to Onyx and staring at her with an analyzing expression.

"Can I help you?," she rose an eyebrow.

"You look like...someone I know," he murmured, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"We were...heading to Hallow Bastion...you guys wanna come with?," Onyx asked slowly, trying to move out of Zexion stare, but not succeeding.

"We were headed there ourselves. I am Zexion, ex-member of Organization XII and before you question me, let's just get to Hallow Bastion so we can sort this out," Zexion introduced, offering a hand to Onyx, which she took slowly.

"Well then, let's get to it!," Dallas grinned, picking Onyx up bridal style before heading down the road.

"Ey Zexion, where's the other two?," he asked, blinking slightly.

"We're behind you," Tsukiko mutters quietly, she and Raven appearing behind Dallas, causing both Gexo and Caxe to jump slightly.

"Jesus, people are appearing everywhere!," Caxe huffed, throwing his hands up in the air before Gexo smacked him over the head and forced his hands down. Onyx could feel a gaze on her, and when she turned her head to look, Raven quickly averted his eyes to the ground.

"Raven...that's-," Zexion whispered to him, but was interrupted.

"I know who she is," Raven whispers back, eyes still on the ground,

"Doesn't that mean that the cycle's started again?," Zexion raised an eyebrow, his voice still low.

"Yeah, it does". Onyx couldn't quite pick up on their conversation, but she knew that they were talking about her. People have been thinking she was someone else completely, which brought up a question in her mind.

_'Who am I?'_


End file.
